


Pushing Boundaries

by Sayl



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 11:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13612503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayl/pseuds/Sayl
Summary: After Lon'qu saves her life by taking an arrow from her assassins, Lissa is determined to repay the favor. What better way than to help him get over his fear of women with a harmless exercise in personal space?





	Pushing Boundaries

“See! It’s not so bad!”

   She’s too chipper for this early. Or for any time of day really, but comparatively this was more lively than she normally was so soon after the sun came up. And yet the color of the sky had progressed a lot more than he had. The redness of the sunrise had long faded into bright blue, but that crimson still clung to his cheeks as he stood there, arms folded across his chest.

   Lissa was merely a foot away now, standing there and staring up at him with her incessant smile. Less than an hour ago she’d been three meters away. Continuously chattering all the while, she’d slowly been working her way closer to him as the minutes passed, drawing conversation out of him at a consistent rate. She’d woken up far earlier than usual with this intent of “helping him”. Ever since he’d taken that arrow for her, she’d insisted on doing something for him in turn. And had just recently decided that the best thing she could do was to help him get over his phobia.

   Whether or not it was working or not yet, he couldn’t tell. He’d been completely fine when they first started (aside from having to talk so much). But her subtle movements to inch closer didn’t go by unnoticed. He could practically feel the distance between them shrinking, like some dark wraith taunting him before it reaps his soul.

   Perhaps a dramatic metaphor, but a valid one none-the-less. Now that she’s right in front of him it feels like he might pass out. And who’s to say he’d ever wake up?

   He grimaces, obviously agitated, but he’s working on it. His index finger taps against the fur of his sleeve as he stands there, trying to keep his anxiety down. She’s close, but she’s not touching him at least (or at least, not yet…but knowing her that’s all part of her plan). His instincts tell him to retaliate in some way: to yell at her to back away or to step back and put some distance between them again. But he doesn’t. He can’t. The whole purpose of this was to try and move past his crippling fear and regressing wouldn’t accomplish that

   Even if he did feel faint.

   Finally she frowns, her lip forming a slight pout as she gives him an annoyed look. “Come on! Are you even trying? You’re pale as a ghost, Lon’qu! You’re not going to pass out on me are you?”

   The swordsman grunts in response, still leaning back slightly as it seems she’s leaning in to scold him. _“ It’s taking all I have to just let you stand there !”_  he retorts.  _“ If you get much closer I…cannot give you any guarantees …”_  
She blinks, mouth forming a small “o” as she starts to see just how much progress this technically was. “Well in that case, maybe you should sit down. Just in case!”

   His brow furrows at her request, wondering exactly what it is she’s planning next if he’s going to need to sit down for it. But with little more than an anxious groan, he complies. He lowers himself to the ground, propping his back up against the large trunk of the tree. He immediately tenses as she takes a seat next to him, her skirts fanning out and pressing against his leg. She isn’t touching him, but it gives the illusion of it. He tries to scoot away, but she calls him out, pointing a delicate and accusatory finger his way.

   “Upupup! No moving away, that was one of the rules! How am I supposed to help you if you just run away every time, hm?”

   He takes in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before he finally releases it: long and slow. She’s right. He’s not doing himself any favors. This was an important process for him to go through. Keeping himself distant from women was one thing, but being rendered unsteady or weakened by their presence was unacceptable. Usually in life or death situations he could look past his fear temporarily, but he had also experienced hesitations at inopportune times. He could not be the one responsible for making a mess of things over being in a woman’s presence.

_“ I’m…sorry …”_  He drawls, truly attempting to focus. _“ I am just…still getting accustomed to it. I haven’t willingly been this close to a woman …” In a very long time…_

   A few more minutes pass of her goading him into talking with her, long enough that he starts to relax. He slowly gets accustomed to her proximity, the tension in his shoulders visibly fading. She notices this, and once she’s positive she’s made some ground, she’s ready to push it just a little further. Slowly, she starts to lean to one side, inching closer to him at a nearly imperceptible slowness.

    _Nearly_.

   In a flash, his anxiety spikes again as he recoils the other way, giving her a look of skepticism and offense.  _“ What are you doing ?!”_

  _Blast it!_  It’s exactly as he feared. She did have plans to torment him further with this ‘training’ of hers. Blood rushes to his face as he stares her down, noticing that she looks rather dismayed. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, her face lights up, as if an idea has just come to her. “You know what? I have a better idea!” She exclaims. With a bit more enthusiasm than is called for, she settles back into her sitting position, back straight as she does a slight shimmy with her shoulders. A triumphant smile graces her face and he can’t figure out why.   
   “Once you’re ready,  _you_ get to lean on  _me_. That way we  _know_ you’re making progress! And you won’t have to worry about what _I’m_  doing if it’s all on you.”

_“ Ngh !”_  Is about all he can get out as he realizes what she’s suggesting. She’s going to hold him hostage here until he does this. _“ Is there no end to this ?!”_

   “Oh, come on, Lon’qu!” She whines, now appearing disheartened. “Is it really that horrifying to be this close to me? Look how far you’ve come! For a moment there you were totally fine and I was right here!”

   He falls silent now, gritting his teeth as he ponders his situation. Of all the women he knew, she was the one who he found it the least horrifying to come into this close of contact with. But even then, it was a huge jump in his comfort level. Eventually, he resigns himself to it, sighing as he folds his arms over his chest again, giving her a simple nod in response.

   It’s quiet for a few minutes. Lissa idly rocks her feet back and forth with her legs stretched out in front of her. Her gaze flits about from the trees above them to the clouds in the sky, her smile milder than before. It’s calming, actually, that she’s not barraging him with questions and ice-breakers. He has to focus, to force himself to relax. But the trick is, he realizes, is he has to focus on everything but her. So he does just that. He hones in on the sound of the brook off to their right, the wind in the leaves above his head, the pace of his breathing, the light drumming of his own fingers on his arm. He leans toward her slightly, but recoils back. A few more times over the next quarter hour.

   But finally, he manages. His arms are still crossed, and he’s stiff as a corpse, but he leans into her shoulder. Just slightly, he’s barely touching her, and certainly not putting any wait on her. It’s as much a strain on his abs to sit like this as it is his mental state. Lissa doesn’t react though, she seems frozen. Or perhaps, that is her reaction, as it is short lived. Her sudden movement a moment later is what breaks his concentration. Just as she turns to smile at him, he flinches, pulling away once more as he groans in irritation, his discomfort rushing back like a flood.

   “See! Look at your progress already!” She laughs, a smile brimming with pride on her lips. “At this rate you’ll have those rumors Vaike spread dispelled in no-time!”

_**“** Urgh  **…”**_  The reminder of the…events that transpired at the festival not long ago still clawed at the back of his mind. His annoyance bristled brightly at the thought.  _ **“** Thick-headed imbecile  **…”**_ he curses, almost hissing through gritted teeth. _**“** It’s one thing to be daft enough to think that my aversion for women means…that…But the audacity of him to spew his false findings to every person within a square mile … **?!”**_ He cuts himself off, knowing that nothing will come of his complaining. But he’s still frustrated by the thought. Too frustrated to even realize the implication of what Lissa was saying.

   She giggles in response, leaning forward so she can see his face again, and the red in his cheeks is equal parts from his ire and his nerves. “I know, I know. I don’t know where he got the logic that you not liking women means you’re interested in men.”   
Without missing a beat, she chimes, “You dislike everybody!”

   He looks to her now, the scowl wiped off his face as he’s caught off guard by the statement. But not so much the words themselves, but the humor (and probably truth) within them. His resulting laugh comes as a surprise to him, and especially to Lissa. It isn’t much, just a few seconds of low chuckling that grows in volume just slightly by the end. She laughs with him, overjoyed to hear such a thing from him. Has she ever heard it before? He can’t even remember the last time he’d heard it.

    It doesn’t last, but for a few seconds, the tension slipped away. But once it passes, his anxiety begins to creep back in. It isn’t as potent, but it’s enough to make him lean back against the tree, cheeks still flushed. But his stern expression hasn’t returned, and his dark eyes dart away as she starts talking again as he thinks to himself  ~~———–~~

_~~————-~~   Maybe not…everyone…_

**Author's Note:**

> A drabble from my Tumblr account. Takes place sometime between their A and S support. References Lon'qu and Vaike's support from the Harvest Scramble DLC.


End file.
